Twisted Paths
by Eternal Density
Summary: What if Jacek stumbled across Earth in his travels? What if Vala and Daniel first met as children? What if Vala's past had taken a different path? Who would she become?
1. Prologue

Twisted Paths

Spoilers for: stuff relating to Daniel and Vala's childhood, other random eps which I'll note as necessary

Pairings: A lot of DanielVala friendship, who knows where it will end up?

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate:SG-1. This is written for fun, not profit.

Acknowledgement: This was inspired long ago by Chapter 10 of **How Daniel and Vala met:The Alternate Scenarios **by acer-sigma

Prologue

Jacek cursed as he pounded on the display screen. Despite the abuse, it resolutely displayed the same message: the star charts had been corrupted and the ship had travelled an unknown distance off course. He lashed out again and cursed the trader who had provided the vessel, but the situation did not improve. The only way to return home was to wait a week while the computer rebuilt its database and figured out where in the galaxy he was. He knew he only carried provisions for two more days. This meant he needed to find a planet where he could restock.

Sensors indicated a star of the right type within two days of hyperspace travel. He could not yet determine if it had habitable planets, but there was no other choice. Many long hours later, Jacek was relieved to see scans of a watery planet. It was definitely inhabited, and at a far greater level than he had seen on any other planet. Equally surprisingly was a notation indicating that there was not a single Gateway on the planet, but two. One appeared to be in a frozen region, so he set his course for the other.

At that point, the sub-light engine controls began to fail. Jacek began to regret purchasing such a cheap ship. It looked like he would be fortunate to land in a single piece on dry land. Landing in any specific place would be impossible. As it was, he could tell that he wasn't going to land on the same landmass as the Gateway.

After a harrowing struggle, the small cloaked ship landed in an unoccupied sandy area, not far from an inhabited area. The pilot checked that the computer would continue the mapping process, chose a few shiny trinkets which could be traded for food, and set out walking in the direction of civilisation. A hour's walk brought him to what looked more like the remnants of civilisation. Several people were working in the dirt, poring over buried ruins, broken pottery, and other items.

No one seemed to notice the newcomer, giving him an opportunity to listen to their conversations. They seemed to use a variety of tongues, some which were partly familiar to him. He began to understand they were investigating the remains of what had been a city in the nearly-forgotten past. He entertained thoughts of searching for treasure, but his belly reminded him of more pressing needs to fill. After taking a long drink from his water container, he continued past the dig site to the city.

The city contained much of interest to the newcomer. It was quite a mixture, of both people and technology. Mostly, it seemed primitive, though there were many things that appeared to be quite innovative and vastly different to any Goa'uld items he'd seen on sale. On that subject, no one seemed to understand his questions about the Goa'uld or the Gateway. From the odd looks he received, he gathered that these people knew nothing about the inhabitants of the galaxy beyond their planet. This was unexpected, but somewhat refreshing.

Food was something the people definitely did know about, and they were willing to part with a significant quantity of it in exchange for the jewellery he had on hand. He was also able to secure a comfortable bed to spend several nights. This gave him plenty of opportunity to learn about the city and the available commodities. It was definitely a place to which he could return for advantageous trade. A planet without threat of the Goa'uld was also attractive. His own home-world – a subsidiary holding, which merited several squads of Jaffa to keep the inhabitants in line – had a far more oppressive ambience.

Feeling pleased at his find, and leading a borrowed humped creature laden with provisions, Jacek returned to his ship. He again stopped to watch the archaeologists at the dig site. They were busily and carefully excavating artefacts from the past. One of the diggers was a young boy, and the sight of the child's meticulous work caused Jacek to think of his own daughter, who would be waiting for him to return, as was his dear wife.

Suddenly feeling anxious to be home, the traveller continued walking back to his ship. He loaded it with the items he had bartered, and set the camel free. The star chart was nearly repaired, giving him time to patch up the sub-light controls well enough to take him safely off the planet. Once everything was in marginally working order, he activated the drive, and the ship lifted away from the planet's surface, unseen by the inhabitants. As he prepared to jump to hyper-speed, he considered all the new stories he could tell. Yes, it would be good to be home.


	2. Planning a Journey

Chapter 1 - Planning a Journey

A door creaked open, and a stealthy figure slipped inside. However, he was not quiet enough, and a head turned in his direction.

"Daddy! You're home! You were away for too long." The little pigtailed girl threw down the toy catapult she'd been constructing and ran over for her father to pick her up. He did so, and spun her around.

"I missed you, Vala-girl," Jacek said softly, in their native tongue.

"And Mummy?"

"Of course. Where is she?" The recently-arrived man looked around for signs of his wife.

"She's in the garden," Vala informed, using her most serious tone, which had the effect of making her sound cuter than normal.

"Let's surprise her," Jacek suggested, before feeling a finger poke his back. He spun around to see a vision of beauty.

"Hello Jacek."

"Portia," Jacek replied softly. He set down his daughter and pulled his wife into a tight embrace. Vala giggled and looked away.

After the couple had broken apart, Portia asked, "What has delayed you? I expected you to return many days ago and feared for your safety."

"That's a long story, but the central issue is that the ship Hamal sold me has a faulty navigation system. I landed on an unknown planet for food while the computer rebuilt the star map so I could find my way home."

"I told you not to buy from Hamal, but you did not listen, my husband," Portia chided.

Jacek shrugged. "I'm home now, and I found a planet with excellent trade possibilities." He motioned conspiratorially for his family to lean closer, and whispered, "There are no Jaffa on the planet, and they know nothing of the Goa'uld."

"How can this be?" Portia wondered.

"I do not know, but I am certain of one thing: _she_ must not learn of this." Jacek's wife was in strong agreement with this sentiment.

"Did you bring anything back for me?" Vala asked.

"I certainly did!" Jacek rummaged in his bag and produced a small object carved from stone.

"Ooh, what is it?" the girl wondered.

"A creature known as a camel. They live in desert areas, and can store a large amount of water so they can survive a long time without drinking," Jacek explained. "I used one to carry me things from the city back to my ship."

"Wow, thanks Daddy!" Vala gave her father another hug before running off to add the carving to her collection. When she returned she asked, "Can I see a real camel, Daddy?"

"How about, next time I visit the planet, you come with me. Just the two of us on a trading trip. If your mother lets you come. How does that sound?"

"Wow, a trading trip? Really? Can I, Mummy?"

Portia looked thoughtful. "If Daddy promises you will be safe, you can go," she finally decided. "And you need to promise to be a good girl."

"Yay! Of course I'll be good, if I can go on one of Daddy's trips! Wow, a trip to see camels! What else is there to see?"

"New people with different languages, different types of food, jewellery, machines, and all sorts of things people can do in a world with no Goa'uld and no Jaffa," Jacek listed.

"And animals?"

"Yes, there's more kinds of animals too."

"It'll be so great!" Vala could not contain her excitement.

"Calm down, we're not going quite yet," her father reminded.

"And it's time to set the table for the evening meal," her mother added.

Vala gave a youthful sigh and began her task, slowed by occasional bouts of daydreaming.


	3. First Meeting

Chapter 2 – First Meeting

"Are we..."

"Nearly. See that star?"

"Yes Daddy," Vala answered.

"That's where we're going. We'll be there in a couple of hours."

Vala watched the patterns of stars on the computer screen. "Do all the stars have planets going around them?"

"No, but a lot of them do."

"Does every planet go around a star?"

"Some go around two stars. If any don't have a star, I'm sure they are far too cold to live on."

"And dark?"

"Yes, dark too."

"What if we lit a fire?"

"It would still be much too cold."

"Oh. Does Ra make the stars shine?"

"No, the stars are far older than Ra, and far more powerful."

"That's not what most people say."

"No. They are afraid Ra will hurt them if they don't do what he says."

"But you're not afraid, are you Daddy?"

"No, Ra doesn't scare me."

"What about Quetesh? Are you afraid of her or her Jaffa?"

"I'm not afraid of the Jaffa. They let me off mining duty if I bring them gifts."

"But, are you afraid of Quetesh Daddy?"

"Enough to be careful. The Jaffa need to be careful too."

"Are they afraid of her?"

"Yes, Vala, they are."

"Maybe the Jaffa would be nicer if Quetesh went away," the girl suggested.

"Perhaps." Jacek didn't want to get his or his daughter's hopes up.

"But there are no Jaffa on the planet we are visiting?"

"No one I spoke to knew anything about them."

"The must have forgot about the planet," Vala suggested. "And the people on the planet forgot about the Jaffa. But we won't tell, will we, Daddy?"

"No. Some things are best left forgotten," Jacek agreed.

Vala said no more for a while, as she was distracted by the sight of some of the other planets in the solar system.

_A little later, on Earth…_

"This planet looks very different to home," Vala commented as her father prepared to leave the ship. "It's wetter."

"It is, but not where we've landed. We can look at the wetter parts another time. Since I have already explored this part, I know where to find the things we want." Jacek stepped out of the cloaked ship, and Vala followed, pulling her hood over her head to keep the sand out of her hair and face.

"What are we going to see first?" the girl asked.

"A buried city."

"How can a city be buried?"

"Sand blew over it, long ago. Now there are people digging it up, to learn about past times they have forgotten," Jacek explained. "And possibly find buried treasure."

"Ooh, treasure!" The pair walked on, and eventually arrived at the dig site.

Jacek decided to introduce himself to some of the workers, so he could chat with whoever was in charge and learn about what was occurring. Vala listened in for a few minutes, but soon grew bored. She began to look around the surrounding area and spied a boy digging carefully in the dirt. She ambled over to see what he was doing."

"You're in the light," he said when she got too close.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand," she responded, not being familiar with the language he had used.

Hearing the unfamiliar voice, he looked up in surprise. The children looked at one another warily, until the boy pointed at himself and said, "Daniel."

Vala repeated the gesture. "Vala" Having been introduced, they stumbled through several languages before finding enough commonality to hold a conversation. Before long, Vala had offered to help, and Daniel began showing her the right way to dig without potentially damaging any artefacts which might be buried. Daniel was explaining that his parents were working in another part of the dig, when they were interrupted.

"I see you've made a new friend," Jacek observed with a smile.

"Daddy, this is Daniel. Daniel, this is my father," Vala introduced in the correct languages. "Daniel is showing me how to find treasure without damaging it."

"He'll have to finish showing you some other time, little darling. It's time to go to the city."

"But…"

"You want to see the city, remember? You can play with Daniel another day."

"We're working, not playing," Vala corrected.

"Then you'll need to find another time to work. We need to find a place to sleep, and then we can start shopping."

Vala looked disappointed, but she obediently said her farewell to Daniel and began following her father to their next destination.


	4. Promise

Chapter 3 - Promise

Vala was sad that she had to leave her new friend, but she soon got over this, as there was so much to see. The animals, the buildings, the food, the clothes, and even the people were different to what she had seen before, in varying degrees. Many things were familiar, but others were the cause of incessant questioning. It was quite exciting, though her interest waned as she grew tired of walking around the city.

Eventually she'd had enough of exploring, and Jacek decided it was time for their evening meal. Fortunately he succeeded in finding an establishment which served food which she found agreeable. After they had eaten, they settled into their adjacent hotel rooms. Vala's room seemed palatial compared to her own room at home, and had some difficulty getting to sleep, despite her busy day. While Jacek would have preferred to find a place to exchange stories and gamble, he stayed in the first night, not wanting to leave his daughter alone in an unfamiliar place.

The next day was spent trading and bartering trinkets which were almost worthless on other planets for cheap curiosities which would be highly valued off-world. Vala gave many helpful recommendations of items people would likely want, and Jacek found that the shopkeepers were more apt to trust him compared to when he operated alone. Eventually he had gathered a fair load of loot and decided it was time to take it to the ship for safekeeping. Vala protested at the idea of travelling to the ship and back, but was happy to be dropped off part way.

"Daniel, I'm back again!" she announced to the boy, who was again bent over an interesting patch of dust.

"Hello Vala," he answered with a grin and a sneeze. "Did you have fun in the city?"

"Yes, lots of fun. But now you've got to teach me about digging for buried treasure," the girl declared.

"Of course. But there's a lot more to it than just digging. You need to know what it is that you found, so you know whether it's valuable."

"That's easy. If it's shiny, like gold or jewels, then it's valuable," Vala stated, after a few tries at finding the right words to state what she meant.

Daniel slowly shook his head of brown hair. "More than just gold and jewels are valuable. Artefacts are valuable because of what they mean."

"Artefacts?"

"Things we dig up."

"Oh. What _do_ they mean?" Vala wondered, not realising how big a question she had asked.

Daniel eagerly began to tell all he knew on the subject.

-

A week later, it was finally time to leave Earth and return home. Vala had spent some time with Daniel nearly every day. Jacek had been interested in the dig site, to the point of spending one night there rather than returning to the city. However, he didn't find anything that would be of more value to his potential customers than what he could buy in the markets. Vala, on the other hand, found the site fascinating, mostly because of her new friend who loved to explain everything. By the time her visit to the planet was over, she had a much firmer grasp of the local dialects of several languages, having learned fragments which her father had brought back from previous journeys to other planets.

"It's been fun learning from you," she said to Daniel as her time on the dig site grew to an end. "Thankyou."

Daniel smiled shyly. "You've been a good student. And a helpful one," he replied, referring to the pots she'd helped him unearth. He reached into his bag of tools and pulled out a stone. "Here, this is for you. It's a… goodbye gift."

Vala took the flat stone and examined it. "What do these symbols mean?"

"They're the Egyptian hieroglyphs that represent your name," Daniel explained.

"Oh. You made this? For me?" Vala asked, touched at his generosity.

"Uh, yeah," he answered bashfully.

"Whenever I look at it, I'll remember you," she told him. "And how nice you are," she added, which was a roundabout way of thanking him. "And… I promise I'll visit you again some day."

"If you can find me," Daniel said doubtfully. "We go to a lot of different dig sites around the world."

Vala shook her head and pushed up her sleeve. Daniel looked at her curiously, but she didn't notice as she was focussed on something on her arm. Her fingers located the object and she pulled it down and off her arm. "Keep this," she said, holding out the ornate bracelet. "A goodbye gift from me. It's a magical bracelet that will stop you from getting lost. I mean, it will stop me from losing you. Something like that."

Daniel looked amused, but accepted the gift. "Wow, it's beautiful. Where did you get this?"

"My father bought it for me last year, when he was away on a trading journey. I've got lots of nice things. You can keep this one."

"It's a lot nicer than the stone I gave you," protested Daniel, thinking it was an unfair exchange.

Vala shook her head. "You made that yourself. Remember, you taught me that who made something can be more important than what it's made of."

"You learned well," Daniel replied with a grin.

Vala nodded. "My father says I'm very clever. And I had a clever teacher."

"Time to go, Vala!" called Jacek, who was waiting with a camel.

"I'd better go. My mother is waiting for us at home. I miss her."

"Have safe trip, Vala."

"Thanks, Daniel. I'll see you again some day."

"Before you go, I've been meaning to ask where you live," Daniel said suddenly.

"A long way from here," Vala answered as she ran to the waiting camel.

Daniel sighed, wondering why his talkative friend avoided talking about her home.

-

Jacek's final purchases were loaded into the cargo ship, and soon the travellers were leaving the solar system. Jacek watched as the dot on the screen which represented Earth was left behind. Strangely, a second dot moved with it. A dot which should have accompanied the ship.

The father sighed as he realised the reason. "You gave Daniel your locator bracelet, didn't you, Vala-girl?"

"I didn't want to lose him," the girl explained, having no reason to deny what she had done. "But I still don't want to get lost either," she added in a worried voice.

"Don't worry, I can get new a new one. I'm not going to lose you if I can help it."

-

Several days later, Jacek and Vala arrived on their home planet, to find neither their home nor Portia Mal Doran waiting for them.


	5. While it Lasts

Chapter 4 – While it Lasts

"Where is my wife? And what happened to my house?" Jacek demanded of a neighbour.

Behat, the neighbour, shook his head sadly. "Quetesh was here. She said that we were too complacent, that we did not fear her. She gave her Jaffa leave to attack randomly. Several buildings were destroyed, some of the people were killed, and others taken to be slaves of the goddess."

"Where is Portia?" Jacek asked desperately.

"I am sorry, my friend. She is dead."

The world turned dim, and all the man was aware of was a deep, aching loss, and his daughter clinging to him tightly.

-

Vala stared blankly at the ceiling of her new bedroom. She still felt numb after the loss of her wonderful mother, and of her home.

While some of their possessions had been recovered from the rubble, her father's newly acquired trinkets were not enough to buy and furnish a new house. He'd had to go into debt, and the only way to meet the repayments and put food on the table was to work the mines. Trading would have been a good way of obtaining the required funds, but now there was nothing left to trade, apart from the cargo ship, and Jacek was not willing to part with it just yet. Without a ship, the only way to trade with other worlds was through the ring. Stepping into the unknown was dangerous, and he did not want to leave his little girl with no parent to raise her properly. Additionally, the ship was the only way back to Earth, which was one of the best trading worlds available, and a place Vala definitely wished to visit again.

There was another reason why he couldn't use the ship just yet. Quetesh had stationed extra Jaffa on this planet, and surely they would not respond kindly to a human owning such a vehicle. He had nothing left to bribe them with, so the next time he used the ship, he could not come back to the planet. The risk and consequences of discovery were too great. While he enjoyed travel, he wasn't ready to leave his home-world just yet. He and his daughter had friends here, and some relations (with varying degrees of acceptance from the latter), and he was still fond of the place, Jaffa notwithstanding. Besides, he had not run out of potential sources of income yet.

-

Daniel Jackson spun the pretty bracelet around his finger, admiring the intricate and colourful patterns. It was unlike anything he'd seen before, whether at digs, in museums, in the shops and markets, or even actually worn. The gift was unique. So was the giver. Vala was a curious girl, which was to say both that she liked to ask questions, and she that was unusual. While she spoke snatches of various languages – or had, until he'd taught her better – he didn't know what her native language was. Her accent wasn't clearly identifiable either. His parents, who had more experience than he, did not know anything about the origins of their visitors either. They seemed to have appeared out of the desert and vanished back into it

On the topic of his parents… "It's time for lunch, Danny," said his mother.

"Already?" He'd lost track of time.

"Actually, we were called about half an hour ago, but your father and I were wrapped in a translation, so we…" Claire made a vague gesture which Daniel interpreted as 'forgot to eat for the thousandth time'.

"I didn't even hear the lunch call. I was thinking."

Claire saw the bracelet in her son's hand. "Ah," she said knowingly.

"I was just wondering where's she's from."

"Well, I have some friends who would be willing to analyse and value the bracelet, if you like."

Daniel shook his head emphatically and clutched the gift protectively. "No. I'm keeping it with me. Always. Vala believes it will help her find me."

"That's interesting," said Claire, her mind already filled with myths and legends of friendship charms and suchlike.

"Lunch, Mom. We need to find Dad too. He'll have found something to distract him."

"Yes, he will," Claire agreed with a laugh. She looked back at the bracelet. "You miss her."

"I don't know many other kids," Daniel agreed. "And they all say I'm too smart. Vala liked me teaching her. And she didn't get to stay for very long."

"You can never be too smart, or not smart enough, Danny," his mother told him gently. Your father and I will always love you, no matter what. And remember, all good things need to come to an end, so other things can happen. If life was always the same, it would be boring. Because nothing lasts, it means we need to make certain we make the most of every opportunity while we have it. Besides, even if she had stayed, we need to leave in only a few more days."

"Yeah, the museum display in… where did you say it was?"

"New York City. The New York Museum of Art."

-

Author's Note: Wow, over 100 people have already read the previous chapter! And since you're reading this note, you've now read htis chapter! I hope you enjoyed it, and I'd love to read what you think, good or bad.


	6. Stepmother and Foster Parents

Chapter 5 – Stepmother and Foster Parents

_A few months later…_

"I don't like her. She's a mean woman," Vala declared.

"You just don't know her very well yet."

"I don't want to!" the girl huffed.

"Vala, when I marry her, we'll have plenty of money. I won't need to work in the mines, and you will see me more. Isn't that a good thing?"

"Yes. But I don't want to see more of _her_!"

"Can't you get money by trading?"

"I don't have anything _to_ trade. Not enough to repay my debts. Besides, you need a mother."

"Not like the one you've chosen."

"Adria is a fine woman."

"Not around me, she isn't."

"You'll learn to like her."

"Don't want to."

"Vala, I _need_ the money. For _you_!"

"Get it some other way. I don't want a stepmother!" Vala protested.

"It isn't your decision, Vala-girl. These last few months haven't been easy. But now, it can all change."

Instead of answering, Vala fled to her room.

-

"Please stop sulking, Vala," Jacek pleaded a few hours later. No response came from her room. "Give Adria a chance. She's alright once you get to know here." Still no answer. "Vala, hiding in your room won't change anything."

"I… I don't care about money, Daddy. You don't have to do this for me," she finally answered.

"I know, but my creditors _do_ care about money, and unless I can find a way to pay them quickly, I'll be working in the mines for the rest of my life."

"If you marry that Adria woman, you won't have any more time for me," Vala worried.

"Of course I will."

"Enough time to take me to see Daniel again?"

"Well… not any time soon," Jacek hedged.

"What if you take me now? Before you marry her," the girl suggested.

"She wouldn't like it if I vanished for a few weeks before the wedding."

"Tell her you're getting her a special present."

"Hmm… that might just work. Alright, I'll take you to see Daniel if you promise to make an effort to get along with Adria."

"Fine." Vala didn't sound very happy about the stepmother issue, but she was glad that she'd get to see her friend again.

_Meanwhile, on Earth…_

"Has the new kid talked yet?" Graham Gentry asked his wife.

Paula shook her head. "Not yet."

"Are you there's nothing 'wrong' with him?" Graham made a 'loopy' gesture beside his head.

Paula sighed. "I keep telling you, his social worker says he'll talk when he's ready. He's too traumatised at the moment." Graham never quite seemed to take in this information, which was quite frustrating.

"We've fostered orphans before, and they could talk."

"Daniel saw his parents die right in front of him! That would mess up anyone. Don't worry, he'll get his tongue back when he's comfortable."

"Does he even know English?"

Paula shot him an exasperated look. "He does, and that should be obvious to anyone who talks to him. From what his social worker says about his parents, he probably knows other languages too."

"Hmph. I'll believe it when I hear it."

"Yes, you will, dear." But inwardly, Paula worried that there was something she wasn't doing. Something that Daniel needed to help him recover.

"I'll give him a few more weeks before we send him back."

"We're talking about a child, not a television set."

"Hmph. My show will be on in a minute. Remind the kids to keep quiet."

Paula opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted by the doorbell.


	7. To Speak

Chapter 6 – To Speak

Author's Note: While a little cargo ship can get from Vala's home planet to Earth in several days, a larger ship is unable to reach nearly so fast a speed with current hyperdrive technology available to the Goa'uld. Larger ships are still relatively 'slow', and will be until Apophis attacks Earth in many years time. Fortunately, small ships are more efficient at moving through hyperspace, otherwise it would take a couple of years for Vala to visit Earth by ship.

Oh, and thanks for reading, I'm amazed at the sheer number of hits this story is receiving! And now, on with the story!

-

_Nearly two weeks later…_

"That's odd," Jacek remarked, looking closer at the view screen.

"Is something wrong, Daddy?"

"The signal is coming from a different part of the planet."

"Daniel has travelled?"

"Yes, a long way."

"He must be at another 'dig site'," Vala guessed.

"Perhaps. We'll see. We'll be close in just a few minutes."

What they found was very surprising to Vala. Not so much to Jacek, since he had briefly scouted the planet as he left the first time. "Is that a city? It's so big! Look at all the tall buildings!"

"I'm looking, so we don't hit any," replied the amused father.

"Maybe Daniel lives here when he isn't digging."

"We'll see."

"Grownups always say that," Vala mumbled to herself.

"Here we are. He's in that house there," Jacek pointed.

"That's a house? Wow. Can I go and see Daniel now?" said the over-eager Vala.

"Don't put your vegetables before your rainclouds," said her father proverbially. "I'm not letting you run off on your own on an alien planet. We need to find somewhere to land that the ship won't be found."

"But it's cloaked!"

"People can still run into it."

"Oh. Fine, but be quick," the girl insisted. Even with the new sights, the girl was rather sick of being in the ship.

-

"William, where did you get that book?" Paula asked upon seeing the foster child run through her house clutching the thick volume.

William shrugged. "Found it."

Paula held out her hand. "Let me see it." She took the book and turned it over. "This is one of Daniel's books, isn't it? What have I told you about taking his things?"

"He didn't complain when I took it."

"Of course he didn't. But that's no excuse. Why did you take it?"

"All he does is sit around and read! Maybe if I take his books he'll…"

"It's not up to you, William."

"But it's weird, not saying anything, ever."

"He's just scared. Maybe if you stopped taking his things, he might feel like talking to you. Try to be friendly."

"How can I be friendly if he just sits there reading?" William protested.

Graham stuck his head into the room. "Hey, what's with the racket?"

"William took another of Daniel's books. I was trying to convince him to be friendly instead."

"Daniel again. Hmph. Call that kid down here. I need to talk to him."

A little reluctantly, Paula climbed the stairs and knocked on Daniel's door. "Daniel? You need to come downstairs. Graham wants to talk to you." She heard the sound of a book closing, and Daniel appeared in the doorway. He looked miserable. "Come along." She returned to her husband and the boy followed.

"There you are, kid," Graham began. "Look, I know you've had a rough time. But that was months ago. It's not an excuse for not talking, understand?"

Daniel nodded.

"Daniel," Graham replied sternly. "I expect you to…" The doorbell interrupted.

"It'll be one of those salesmen. This must be the tenth time this month!" Paula was rather tired of the interruptions, as the salesmen didn't seem to know when to take 'no' as an answer. "Perhaps I'll get rid of this one in under five minutes. Doubtful," she said in resignation as she walked to the door. Upon opening it, she was pleased not to see a salesman, but a small pigtailed girl. Behind the girl – staying out of the way, but watchful – stood a man who was obviously her father. "Can I help you?" she said to the girl.

"Hello, I'm Vala. Could I please speak to Daniel?"

Paula didn't understand the words or recognise the language. "I'm sorry, I don't understand. Do you speak English?"

Recognising that she hadn't been understood, Vala tried another language. "My name is Vala. I would like to see Daniel. Daniel is my friend."

Paula spotted the repeated word. "Daniel?"

"Yes, Daniel. Can you take me to him? I'm Vala, his friend." She pointed at herself. "Vala."

Paula turned towards the living room. "Daniel! Can you come here for a minute?"

"I'm not done talking to him yet," Graham replied, having barely restarted his lecture.

"There's someone at the door to see him. I think her name is Vala." Paula heard an excited gasp, followed by Daniel's high-speed entry into the hallway.

"Daniel, I came to see you!" greeted Vala excitedly upon seeing him.

Paula was very pleased to watch Daniel's face light up. It was obvious that this visitor was a friend. But that was nothing to what came next. Daniel's mouth opened and...

"Vala! You're really here! I missed you!" Daniel replied. He reached out and they clasped one another's hands, which seemed to be the right thing to do at the time.

She didn't understand what he'd said, but it was still amazing to see the boy finally speak. Graham didn't seem to be so impressed. "Tell that kid that if he wants to speak, to do it quietly," he said loudly from the living room."

Paula tapped Daniel on the shoulder. "How about we take this outside. I'll call William and we'll walk over to the park." She wasn't about to invite non-English-speaking strangers into her house, but she couldn't turn away Daniel's only friend either.

Daniel nodded and returned to his conversation with Vala, which was progressing rather slowly due to the number of languages they were switching between in order to find words they both understood.

-

Author's Note: but that conversation will have to wait until the next chapter, sorry.


	8. Sharing Loss

Chapter 7 – Sharing Loss

Translation Note: conversation between Daniel and Vala is written in English with most of the language-fumbling removed, for your convenience.

(and for anyone who has forgotten, Adria is indeed the canon name of Vala's canon stepmother)

"Who is that woman? Where are we going?" Vala asked as they moved away from the house.

"That's Mrs Gentry. She's looking after me for a while," Daniel explained.

"Why? Are your parents busy?"

"No, they… they died."

"Oh no! That's terrible!" Vala exclaimed. "My… my mother died too. When we got home… she… she was dead." It took several tries to finish the sentence.

"What happened?" asked Daniel with concern.

"The village was attacked," Vala answered vaguely as she tried to dry her eyes. "What about your parents?"

"A big stone. It fell on them. It was an accident." There was a pause. "I… saw it happen. I keep seeing it happen."

Vala nodded. "I didn't see but… I still dream about it." There was another silence, because nothing needed to be said. They both understood.

Paula broke the silence. "Um, Daniel, would you mind introducing your friend to me?"

Daniel bit his lip nervously. "Her name's Vala. Vala Mal Doran. We met on a dig in Egypt." He looked down shyly, and then pointed out the man who was following. "That's her father, Jacek."

"They don't know English?"

"Only a little. I'm teaching Vala. They both know a little of several languages. Vala's mother was killed recently."

That explained why Daniel was not the only one who appeared upset. As for the visitors' clothes… "Where are they from?"

"I don't know." Daniel turned back to his friend. "Vala, where is your home?"

"I'm not allowed to say," Vala replied reluctantly.

"Oh."

"What's that?" she asked, spying the playground ahead.

"That ladder is to climb up, and then you slide down the other side. It's fun."

"Ladder? Oh, I see. And what about that over there?"

"You sit in the seat and… how about we choose one each and I'll teach you."

Vala sat in the swing a little reluctantly, but soon found herself challenging Daniel to see who could swing the highest. As they swing, she began to talk. "Daddy is going to marry another woman. She's mean. I don't like her."

"Did you tell him what you think?"

"Yes. He says he needs the money. So he doesn't need to work in the mines. He owes a lot of money, because our old house was destroyed."

"Maybe she's not so bad. Mr Gentry is often grouchy and mean, but he can be nice sometimes."

"I think she hates me because I'm not her daughter but she'll have to feed me. Daddy doesn't care because he wants her money. He says he's doing it to look after me. I think he only cares about himself. He let me come to see you so I would promise to get along with Adria. She's the lady he's marrying. I think he just wants me to stop complaining."

"He might care. I don't know. My grandfather doesn't."

"Your grandfather?"

"He was supposed to look after me, because my parents died. But he said he was too busy with his archaeology."

"With his what?"

"Digging up old things, like… like my parents did. He said his work was too important and he couldn't look after me. Instead I get moved between lots of families."

"That's sad. Do you want to be an archaeology person, Daniel?"

"Archaeologist," Daniel taught her. "Yes. But I want to have to have time for people too. I don't want to be like Nick. My grandfather."

"Nick. That's a funny name."

"You think so?"

"Yes," Vala declared.

"I've never met anyone named Vala before. It's a nice name. It suits you."

"Really? I've never met anyone named Daniel before."

"It means, 'God is my judge'," Daniel told her.

"Hmm," Vala hmm'd.

"Hmm?"

"Just thinking." About judgement, gods, and her mother.

"Oh. Vala, do you know how your father could afford to bring you here, if he was in debt?"

Vala shrugged. "Maybe he had hidden some money for an emergency."

"Perhaps," Daniel agreed. "How did you find me in the States?"

"States?"

"The United States of America. This country. It's a long way from Egypt."

"Oh, yes, the States. Uh, I found you with the magic friendship bracelet, remember?"

"Why does it let you find me, but you can't tell me where you live?" Daniel questioned.

"You don't want to live where I live," Vala replied, jumping off the swing. "I want to try sliding now."

Daniel was disappointed that he didn't receive the answers he wanted, but followed his friend to the slide regardless. He could still be her friend without knowing everything about her. He certainly didn't want to lose his only friend over the issue.

Before Vala climbed far up the ladder, her father approached her and they spoke briefly. After the rapid conversation which Daniel failed to follow, Jacek kissed the top of his daughter's head and left. "Where's he going?" Daniel immediately asked.

"He's finding a gift for Adria. She wouldn't let him go on this trip until he promised to bring her something special."

"But how will he communicate?"

"Everyone understands money, especially Daddy," Vala responded. Having explained, she pushed off and slid down the metal sheet to the ground. She quickly ran back to the ladder. "That was fun! I _must_ do that again!"

Daniel followed shortly after, and the next to slide was William, who Daniel hadn't noticed climbing up behind him. He looked at the older boy warily. "Hello."

William slowly considered his response. "Uh, hi. Look, I'm sorry for taking your book and stuff. I just… wanted you to talk to me, y'know?"

Daniel nodded. "And I didn't want to."

"Yeah. I guess we couldn't both win."

"No. It was a dilemma," Daniel figured.

"Whatever. I shouldn't have taken it out on you. Can we be friends now?"

"Sure," Daniel agreed.

"Great." William motioned toward Vala, who was making the most of the opportunity to use the slide. "Friend from Egypt, you said?"

"We met in Egypt," Daniel clarified.

"I've never been overseas."

"I'll tell you all about it. Later." He had to make the best use of whatever short time he had with Vala, as he doubted he would see her again so soon after this visit.

Soon the three children were playing tag with some other neighbourhood kids, under Paula's watchful eye.

-

_A fun hour later..._

"You're going?" Daniel asked sadly.

"Daddy found a place to eat. He says I'll like the food there."

"Will I see you tomorrow?"

Vala nodded. "In the morning. I promise."

"Take care," he told her.

"You too."

Daniel watched the girl leave. So did Paula. "That was unexpected," she remarked. "But not unpleasant. It's time to go back inside now, I need to put dinner in the oven. How does lemon chicken sound, Daniel?"

"Delicious," he replied, with a broad smile.


	9. Give and Take

Chapter 8 – Give and Take

_Next morning, at the Gentry house…_

"Wow, that's a lot of books!" Vala commented, seeing the shelf in Daniel's room.

"Most of them belonged to my parents," the boy replied wistfully.

"I don't have any books. But I can read signs and stuff." She pointed at one of the covers and said, "I don't know the words, but I have seen most of those letters before."

Daniel nodded. "English is a rather common language. Would you like me to help you learn it better?"

Vala grinned. "You know how I like you teaching me things."

-

Paula poked her head into Daniel's room. "There's snacks downstairs," she announced. As Daniel explained the meaning of 'snacks', the woman noticed that the children had several of Daniel's books open, with many sheets of paper scattered around, full of Daniel's neat handwriting. "I hope you're not boring the poor girl," she said good-humouredly.

"Daniel is teaching me to read English," Vala replied, fairly clearly.

"Looks like he's doing a good job of it," Paula replied. "But it's time you had a break." A though occurred to her and she added, "If you want to read English, I have something for you."

"For me?" Vala was surprised.

"Yes. After you have eaten."

Vala enthusiastically sampled the provided fruit and cookies. She was eager to see what Daniel's foster mother had to show her. While she cleaned her hands (and face), Mrs Gentry retrieved a couple of boxes from the basement. "What is in the boxes?" Vala asked, with a little help from Daniel.

Paula opened a box and revealed a large number of books. Novels, in fact. "My daughter read these books when she was younger. There is no one to read them now, so I would like you to have them."

The girl was very surprised at this generosity. "All these for me? So many! Why give to me?"

"Books have no use packed away in boxes. They are meant to be read. And I want to thank you for coming to Daniel when he needed a friend."

When Vala understood all that the woman was saying, she found that the only ample method of showing her full appreciation was to give her a big hug. Paula gladly returned the gesture, knowing the girl missed her mother. Daniel looked on awkwardly until Paula pulled him into a three-cornered hug, which simply caused him to feel all the more awkward. Hugs weren't something he did much.

"What are the books about?" Vala asked when the hugging was over.

Daniel picked one up and examined it carefully, comparing it to the other visible covers. "They are stories about a girl named Nancy Drew," he explained. "They should be easier to read than archaeology books. And you'll find them more fun to read."

Vala shrugged. "You make everything fun."

Daniel wasn't sure how to respond, so he just nodded agreeably.

"Daddy will be shopping for a few more hours," Vala said as she selected a book. "Let's practice reading."

Daniel nodded and directed her to the couch, where they found comfortable positions and opened the book.

William continued gluing together a model airplane, which he had begun to construct in his room that morning. Apparently building models was an acceptable reason to not interact with others, in his mind.

Paula watched for a few moments before starting the task of vacuuming the bedrooms. As she did so, she again wondered where her young visitor was from. Eventually she decided it didn't matter. With the new dress she was wearing - evidently purchased the previous afternoon - she looked no different to any other child. She did act differently, but so did Daniel. Both had come from different cultures to Paula, and that didn't bother her so long as they behaved.

-

"She said I could keep them," Vala told her father, pointing at the boxes of books. "Daniel taught me many of the words!" She fluttered several sheets of paper and added, "We wrote notes. Translation notes."

"I don't think it's a good idea. If someone discovers them..."

"I'll be very careful! And... and I'll do whatever Adria says. Without complaining. Please say I can keep them!" Vala was not about to give up the chance to read the collection of stories.

Jacek yielded, knowing that his life would be smoother if Vala didn't give his new bride any trouble. "It's a deal," he said. He held out his right hand. "We should shake hands. It is a custom among the people here when they make agreements.

Vala accepted the hand and allowed her father to shake it. "I promise, Daddy."

"Now, thank Mrs Gentry for the books and for minding you, and say goodbye to Daniel so I can carry these boxes for you."

Vala nodded and hugged Paula again. She said something the woman did not understand and explained in English, "It means 'may blessing be on your home'."

"The same on your home," Paula replied. "Remember you are always welcome to visit Daniel."

Vala gave a small nod, though she was doubtful she would be free to visit in the near future. Daniel had told her he would likely be moved to a new family before she had a chance to see him again.

"Goodbye Vala. I - I'm glad you came," Daniel told her. "It's been fun."

"Yes," Vala agreed. "I wish I could stay."

"Perhaps I can visit you sometime?" Daniel wondered.

"No, you can't. Uh... the people don't like outsiders. And it isn't safe. The village might be attacked again," Vala deterred.

Daniel looked perplexed. "Why do you stay?"

"It's home," the girl replied sadly. "We belong there. I – I should go now."

"Yeah." He held up the friendship bracelet. "You'll find me again?"

"I promise. I'll always find you, Daniel," she replied solemnly, before following her father out the door.

-

Jacek's new bride, Adria, was very pleased at his gifts. She wasn't sure which she liked best. The food called 'chocolate truffles' was simply amazing, but the diamond necklace was more permanent. She couldn't wear it often, however, since it was likely to be confiscated by a greedy Jaffa. Her husband's brat seemed to be trying to behave, which was a bonus, and Jacek didn't seem interested in any more secret trips.

Jacek was less pleased, though he avoided showing it because he didn't want to be recognised as a man whose transport ship had been replaced with a smoking crater. However, he was pleased that the Jaffa hadn't connected it to him yet, and hoped any of the ones he'd paid off in the past would keep their mouths shut.

Vala became more subdued, in order to avoid being noticed by her stepmother. Being noticed meant being yelled at for some small fault, and being given extra chores. She bravely kept her promise not to complain, and took solace in her secret stash of novels.

-

Daniel was very shocked to see a poster by the police station containing the words 'Grand Theft', 'Reward', and a grainy picture of Vala's father. Further copies were spotted outside several stores. The jeweler sported several.

-

Next chapter: We get to see Vala at age twelve!


	10. Sale

Chapter 9 - Sale

(note: the speech is of course translated into English for easy reading)

_About two years later…_

Vala Mal Doran carefully carried the bundle of clean clothes into the house. "I have the dry washing inside," she announced quietly.

"Now fold them and put them away," her stepmother instructed. "And don't wake Tana."

Vala didn't pay much attention to the warning. Her half-sister was not an easily-woken baby. The constant warnings and instructions were simply the woman's way of feeling in control. She would probably add another one in 3… 2… 1… "And don't drop them on the floor." The girl stifled a sigh and continued folding. Once she had finished, she headed for the kitchen.

She was halfway there when Tana awakened. Loudly. She quickened her pace, knowing she was about to be called. "I'll see to Tana. Don't let the leb'en burn." Leb'en was a type of fried bread containing meat and vegetables. It was like a dry spongy savoury pancake, and had to be turned over at the right time to avoid scorching it. Fortunately, Vala had a great deal of practice flipping correctly, so Adria rarely found fault with her. Adria didn't trust Vala with anything relating to Tana, which suited Vala just fine.

"Mmm, I smell fresh hot leb'en!" said a very familiar voice from the front door.

"Hello Daddy! Tana just work up."

"Fortunately, I can't smell that."

"Yes," Vala agreed, wrinkling her nose. "Did anything interesting happen in town today?"

"Young Ejun fell off the swings again. This time he hurt his arm."

"It is bad?" Vala asked, concerned about the child.

"No, but it easily could have been."

"That should teach him to be more careful. Ahh, the leb'en is all done. I'd better get the plates out."

"Adria should be out soon, I think." Jacek turned around. "Ah, there you are, Dearest. How is the little one?"

"She's active today. Weren't you, Tana?"

"Da!"

"She wants me to hold her," Jacek translated. He took the baby from his wife so she could serve the evening meal.

"Did you have a profitable day, Husband?" Adria asked sceptically after they had begun to eat. Jacek rarely had a day that was profitable by her standards.

"I traded a few loads of lumber for grain," he announced. "And I've found a good deal on a few bolts of fabric."

"That does sound good," she said provisionally. "How many did you buy?"

"I'm afraid I did not have anything else to trade, or any currency. If I go back tonight, they should still be available..." he said, making a strong implication.

"Jacek, you know I don't like giving you my money." Even so, it happened very often. Jacek could be very convincing.

"Didn't you say you needed a new dress? There was a floral pattern you would look lovely in. Though you always look lovely, my dear."

"Well, I suppose. But I won't have you going into the bar, do you hear? You'll only waste most of it on one of those silly games you always lose at. You've lost half my fortune with your pointless gambling."

"You never know when I'll make a big win," Jacek argued.

"I do: never."

"Alright, I'll won't gamble any."

"You'd better not." Adria fetched an ornate wooden box and opened it with a key she kept around her neck. She withdrew two coins made of some shiny metal, which were stamped with the crest of the goddess, Quetesh. She noticed that there were not many remaining, a testament to her husband's gambling and less than profitable trading.

After setting and lighting a small fire to warm the house during the cold night, Jacek bid his daughters goodnight, and told his wife he would be back later with the cloth. He headed directly to the bar. "Evening all," he greeted.

"Jacek. Got money, eh?" replied the barman with an easy familiarity.

"Yep. How about a game?"

"What'll it be? Triads? Five-star?"

"You know there's only one game for me, Frid."

Frid laughed. "Tec'lus Holdings it is," he declared with a flourish. He exchanged his customer's coins with a stack of painted wooden gambling chips. Jacek carefully counted them. "The young fellers in the corner look likely. They've got money to burn too. Been working the mines, I hear."

"Won't know what hit them," Jacek predicted, before approaching his target.

-

A small hand rapped on the door of the Mal Doran residence. "Who's there?" Adria called.

"Solima," a young woman replied.

"Enter."

Vala was surprised to see the older girl. "Why is Solima here? You don't need her to look after Tana now." Solima was Adria's preferred babysitter, as she was a niece.

"Incorrect. We are taking a short trip tonight," her stepmother replied.

"A trip? Where to?"

"A special market. You will find it interesting."

"What kind of interesting?" Vala had become skilled at interrogation.

"Is a surprise. Put on your best dress and we'll be on our way."

Vala had no choice but to obey. She reluctantly followed her stepmother from the house, down the path to the road, and along the road to the south. The girl noticed that the sharp-tongued woman was also wearing her best dress. "What does the market sell?"

"Servants."

"Why are we going there?"

"I think you do too much work around the house."

"Really?" Vala was surprised and pleased.

"Stop your yammering." They walked in silence until they reached the Chappa'ai. "I seek transport to the palace of the great goddess," she told the Jaffa guards.

"We shall summon the power of Quetesh." The squad leader pressed the appropriate holy symbols on the pedestal, summoning the holy cold blue fire. "May you be blessed with safe passage through the stars."

Adria responded with a respectful nod, and led Vala forward. Vala had never been through the ring, but she had seen it used many times. Having travelled in her fathers ship on a few occasions, she had come to the conclusion that the gateway was simply another kind of technology like the ship, rather than something magical. She was a very practical girl. Even so, she was rather nervous about stepping into the rippling blue puddle. As her stepmother was gripping her hand tightly, she had little choice in the matter.

The world seemed to dissolve around her and she felt an incomprehensible sensation before she crashed into awareness of a different world. At that moment she was glad Adria was holding her hand so tightly, because she nearly fell over from the disorientation.

"State your business, human," growled the menacing leader of the Jaffa squad guarding this Chappa'ai. There were more than on Vala's home planet, and their armour was better polished.

"I am to visit the palace of the goddess."

"Zen'at, accompany them."

One of the guards, evidently Zen'at, separated himself from the group. "Follow."

Adria did so, continuing to tow Vala by the hand. "We're going to the palace? Really?" asked Vala excitedly. She'd heard of the palace, and had often wondered what it would be like to live in such a place.

"Yes. Hush, child."

Vala did, but looked around eagerly as they quickly progressed toward the residence of Quetesh. Once they rounded a corner, the palace could be seen, having been obscured by the forest. Vala was immediately awed. "Wow, it's beautiful! And so big!"

"It is, but you must hold your tongue. You are not to speak in the presence of gods, unless spoken to," Adria warned.

The trio reached the white marble stairway, and Zen'at briefly spoke with the palace guards. One walked inside to inform the goddess, and returned after several minutes to usher the visitors inside. Zen'at returned to his duties. The two pilgrims were taken up another flight of stairs to the platform before the throne, where they bowed to the ground. Adria had to pull her stepdaughter down by the wrist, as the girl had become enamoured with the lavish furnishings.

As the two knelt with their faces to the floor, a slight tapping sound was heard, accompanied by a regular swishing. The light footsteps of the goddess, and her gown trailing on the spotless floor. Vala didn't dare look up. _"Welcome, favoured worshipper of Quetesh."_ The sudden distorted voice nearly caused the girl to bite her tongue.

"My esteemed goddess is most generous to allow her humble servant to live in her majestic presence," Adria responded reverently.

"_I see your husband's daughter has accompanied you."_

"Your eyes see all, revered goddess."

The footsteps tapped closer. _"Rise, child,"_ demanded the voice, almost directly above Vala. She shakily obeyed, seeing for the first time the flamboyant robes Quetesh wore – though they seemed to surround her body more than cover it. She felt something metal touch her forehead. Her face was tilted back until she looked into the goddess' face. She saw beauty. It felt like a cold beauty – even evil. It was certainly powerful. A chill went down her spine, though it could have been caused by the cold metal which slid to the side of her face and down her cheek. She saw that it was some kind of jewellery Quetesh wore on her hand.

Vala felt the cold eyes staring into her own. Unexpectedly, they glowed brightly, making her squeal in shock. The goddess responded with a thin smile. _"What is your name, human?"_

"V-vala. Vala Mal Doran."

"_Mmmmm. You are a beautiful child, Vala Mal Doran."_

A warm feeling of pride cheered the girl a little. The goddess – personified beauty herself – said she too was beautiful. "R-really?"

"_You will grow to be an even more beautiful woman."_

"Oh!" To receive two such compliments from the goddess was simply amazing. Vala had not felt so happy in a very long time.

"_Treasurer,"_ Quetesh called loudly. She stood silent and unmoving until a well-dressed man appeared.

"_What is your will, great goddess?"_ he asked, demonstrating by his voice that he was not merely a man.

"_Count out thirty pieces of silver for my loyal worshiper, and record the purchase."_

Vala idly wondered what was being purchased, until the treasurer dropped the bag of coins before her stepmother. Then she understood. Futilely, she made the first move of flight, but Quetesh judged her intentions and grasped her neck with her long, metal-encircled, fingers. Vala jerked around to face Adria. "Why?" she demanded helplessly.

Adria picked up the bag and smiled at the weight. "Your father owed me," she answered simply. She bowed her head to Quetesh once more. "I am truly thankful for the bounty you have bestowed upon your humble servant, generous goddess."

"_May your riches bring you great pleasure. And may your offspring grow to have strength and beauty."_

"Let the will of the goddess be done. And may your new servant be forever pleasing."

Quetesh shook her head. _"No. She is not a servant. She is a student. Guard, escort my favoured worshiper from my palace, and may she be safely delivered to the world of her home."_

"It shall be done, my goddess," the palace guard replied, motioning for Adria to accompany him down the marble stairs.

Vala felt the strong fingers turn her back to face Quetesh. _"Welcome to your new home, child. Come, a maid will assign a room to you."_ The girl had no idea how to react, so she numbly allowed herself to be escorted from the throne room.

-

Jacek carefully concealed the valuables he had purchased with his winnings. The cave was not as good as a cloaked ship, but it was clean and dry, and – unlike the ship – had not yet been discovered. It was a good night's takings. In a few more years, he should be able to buy another ship – depending on how long his wife's funds lasted. Once he was satisfied that his cache was secure, he picked up the cloth he had purchased and returned home.

Adria met him at the door. "I see you bought the cloth," she remarked.

He held up his purchases. "What do you think?"

"They are suitable. Well bought. Where is the change?"

"Change?"

"Surely you could have purchased more with what I gave you," she said accusingly.

"Demand was high. I was lucky to get anything."

"Ha! You lost it gambling, didn't you?"

"Not so," he replied truthfully.

Adria sighed. "No matter. I have plenty more now."

"Oh?"

"Yes, I sold something I no longer needed."

"Sold? Sold what?" Jacek couldn't think of anything she would want to sell.

"Come to bed, Husband. You'll see in the morning."


	11. No Returns

Chapter 10 – No Returns

"Vala's sleeping late," Jacek remarked. "Hadn't you better wake her?"

"I'm busy," Adria answered coldly as she fed Tana.

"Fine, I'll wake her." Jacek rapped loudly on his daughter's bedroom door, waited a few seconds, and entered. "She's not here," he discovered.

"No?"

"That's what I said, is it not?"

"Yes. She must be already outside."

"Probably run off 'investigating' something," Jacek figured. "She's too good at sneaking off these days. I'd better see if I can find her."

"You do that, Husband," Adria replied in a disinterested tone.

-

Vala awoke from a nightmare with a gasp, her young eyes darting about the foreign room. It was well furnished and lavishly decorated, and the bed was far more comfortable than any she had slept in. This was a room in Quetesh's palace, she remembered. She had been sold, abandoned, and left to... sleep in comfort? It was most confusing and - due to the absence of anyone and anything she knew - frightening.

Slowly she slipped out of the covers and stood. Her feet sunk into the plush woolen carpet, and she noticed the silk nightgown she was wearing, which had been provided when she was put to bed on arrival. After looking around the spacious room in wonder for a few minutes, she decided to try the door.

Surprisingly, it was not locked. Unsurprisingly, it was guarded by a Jaffa. A female Jaffa, tattooed with the symbol of Quetesh. Vala involuntarily stepped back in fear. "Be at peace, child," the Jaffa woman told her softly. "I am here to assist you. What is your need?"

Vala wished only to return home. "I... I..." She burst into uncontrollable tears.

Her carer stepped into the room and closed the door to keep the sound inside. "Hush, there is no need for tears," she comforted.

"I want to go home!" she finally uttered.

"This is your home now. The goddess will provide all. Are you hungry?"

"No," Vala said sullenly.

"It is yet dark on this world, but the place is never completely asleep. Food can be brought when you require. I suggest you return to sleep or rest to assist the process of accustoming yourself to the cycle of light on this world."

"I want to go home," Vala repeated.

"You will benefit by remaining here. In time, you will understand. I shall be in the hall if you require assistance." She turned and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Vala - unsure whether to cry or return to bed - elected to do both at once.

-

"She isn't anywhere I've looked. No one has seen her all morning!" Jacek announced frantically.

"Obviously, else she would be with you now."

"You don't seem at all worried!"

"She isn't my daughter. She was only a burden to me."

"Don't say such things! She was... was... _was?_"

Adria showed a smile of self-satisfaction. It wasn't a pretty sight.

"You... you _sold_ her! How could you sell my daughter?!"

"Quite easily," Adria responded without concern.

"Get her back! Bring her back right now!"

"Can you afford her?"

"What do you mean?"

"You owe me money. I'm not buying back _your_ daughter with _my_ money," Adria said n a low voice - practically a purr. "Do you have thirty pieces of silver?"

Jacek was trapped. He could easily sell off some of his stash of valuables, but that would set him back significantly, and Adria would discover his lies. The only acceptable plan was to make Adria use her own money. "I'll tell the buyer you had no right to sell! You were practically selling stolen goods! Then you'll be forced to give the money back!"

"I doubt Quetesh will care," Adria replied insolently.

"_Quetesh?_ You sold Vala to _Quetesh_? How could you?"

"Quite easily. I've sold people to her before. But none have fetched such a high price a your beautiful daughter."

"You... return my daughter, or I'll... I'll leave you!" Jacek threatened.

"Go ahead. But keep in mind that you'll never see Tana again if you do. Do you want to lose _both_ your daughters?"

"No! You can't do this to me!"

"Can, and have. But don't worry. Little Vala will be well looked after. She's not a slave. Quetesh said she would be a student. The goddess rarely takes students."

"A... student?"

"Yes, she will receive the best of care. You will see her again soon enough, I promise."

-

Author's Note: sorry it's kinda short, but it seemed like a decent spot to stop, and I want to go to bed and it's after midnight.  
Also: the "thirty pieces of silver" is intentional :D I hope you enjoyed reading - ED

edit: fixed four typos which my brother found!


	12. New Information

Chapter 11 – New Information

Vala's mind whirled with new information. She recently returned from a tour of much of the palace, and there was a lot to take in. While the dining hall and meeting rooms had been a lovely sight, her interest had been drawn to the physical training facility, the library, and a wing which contained laboratories. She did not actually see inside the latter, but they sounded interesting nonetheless. Perhaps she would get to see them later.

The library reminded her of Daniel. He would love this place, and it would be much more fun if he was with her now. The palace was like the types of things he dug up with his parents, except it wasn't old, and was much bigger. Thinking of Daniel's parents brought her mind back to her own, and she wondered whether she would see her father again.

The next logical thought was about what Quetesh wanted with her. So far it seemed that her purpose was benevolent. The bubble bath she'd received prior to the tour was certainly delicious, and the clothes laid out for her to wear were very generous. However, Vala had become familiar with the concept of 'too good to be true', so she watched everything carefully, asked questions, and paid close attention to all she heard.

-

Three days later, she knew little more. She knew the names and duties of many palace 'staff', and what new foods she enjoyed, but had no information about what fate was planned for her. Having become accustomed to her surroundings, the novelty had mostly worn off, and she was left feeling only loneliness. Just when she was about to become dangerously bored, one of her Jaffa carers entered her room. "I hope you have something interesting for me to do," she said before Nesh'la – the Jaffa – could speak.

"The goddess has seen that you are accustomed to the palace, ValaMalDoran. It is time for your lessons to begin."

"Lessons? Lessons in what?"

"You will learn all the ways of the gods."

"How many ways is that, exactly?"

"You will learn reading, writing, combat, war, and diplomacy, but most importantly you will learn technology."

"Why?"

"It is the will of the goddess."

"No, I mean I don't understand why I am to learn technology. That is something the gods tell no one!" She wasn't actually protesting, but she was very curious as to why such an unusual thing was being done.

"That is for the goddess to know, and for all to obey. Come now, your tutor awaits."

Vala stood. There was not really any point in arguing, and she was quite willing to learn. It was better than being bored sitting around in luxury. "What's my first lesson?"

"You will begin with reading and writing. These must be understood before technology can be taught."

Vala followed Nesh'la down the corridor. "But technology is about constructing weapons which contain the magic of the gods. Why would I need to read and write?" she asked digging for information.

"You have much to learn, Young One."

-

The next three days were far more interesting. The language of the gods was difficult to learn, but it helped that she had gained some understanding of languages from Daniel. It was slow beginning, but it helped keep her mind off other issues, such as her father. She wondered whether he was worried about her, and if he was trying to get her back. She hoped so, but worried that Adria had told him she was dead or a similar lie. Even so, she constantly reminded the palace staff that she wanted to see her father, hoping that Quetesh might eventually let her see him. She didn't dare hope for more, knowing she would certainly be disappointed. Surely the goddess had no plans to let her leave.

-

The next day, her nagging paid off. She was told she had a visitor, and was promptly taken to one of the lesser courtyards. The square was populated by palace guards, with the visitor in the middle. "Daddy!" She rushed to him, and was swept up into his much missed arms. "You came to see me!"

"I've missed you, Vala-girl. I've been trying to come to you ever since you were taken, but the Jaffa would not let me through the gateway."

"But they did today?"

"No, today they came to our house and brought me. They said that Quetesh had allowed _you_ to see _me_."

"I asked, a _lot_," Vala explained.

"I'm so relieved that you're not hurt. Are you being treated well?"

"Very well! The palace is so pretty, and my bed is so soft, and I have such a big room, and my own bath with bubbles! And have you seen my new dress?" Vala gushed.

"Fancy," Jacek observed. "I hear that you are a student."

"Yes. I have to study hard, but there's so much to learn! Maybe some day I'll know as much as Daniel. Daniel knows a lot."

Jacek noticed impatient looks from several of the guards. "I can't stay any longer, Vala, but I'll visit as soon as they let me. I wish I could take you home, or stay here, but… this is what the goddess wants."

"I understand. My tutors aren't happy about teaching their secrets to a human, but the goddess makes them do it," Vala explained, referring to the various very minor Goa'ulds who shared their knowledge with her.

"I see that you understand, but that doesn't make it right."

"No, but… it's not so bad. I miss you, and even Tana, but I don't miss Adria." She wanted to say something like 'I told you so' about her stepmother, but decided it would be mean. "And I don't have to clean anything. I miss cooking, though. Maybe they'll let me."

"Perhaps," Jacek said. "I need to go now. Remember, I always love you, even when you're far away. I promise I won't forget you."

"Me too. Goodbye, Daddy," Vala replied, trying not to cry.

"Be strong, and stay out of trouble," he advised as he was lead away.

Vala watched him go, and wandered sadly to the physical training area. It was almost time for her combat lesson, and she needed to hit something. Though she was only learning simple things like balance, there were sacks full of sand she could hit. She wasn't really sure who she was angry at, but she wasn't happy at the world for separating her from both her parents and her friends.

-

Note: Sorry about the wait - this chapter was a little slow starting. Next chapter should tell more about what Quetesh plans for Vala :D


	13. Avatar

Chapter 12 - Avatar

"Vala, the goddess will speak with you now," Nesh'la announced.

The girl set down the book she had been reading and stood up immediately. A month had gone by since her father's visit, and she still had no explanation as to the reason for her training. She eagerly followed Nesh'la through the palace until they reached the entrance to the throne room. Vala followed the Jaffa woman a little nervously, as almost anyone would when entering the presence of one with authority over their life - or death.

Nesh'la led and Vala carefully followed. As she had been taught, she bowed low as her escort preambled, "Great goddess, I have brought the student Vala Mal Doran as according to your blessed will."

_"You have done well. Leave us,"_ Quetesh intoned. The slave departed and the goddess focussed on her student. _"Vala. You have met my expectations well."_ The human child had exceeded the goa'uld's expectations, but it would not do to admit to an underestimation.

"I - I live to serve," Vala stuttered.

_"Yesssss. I am sure you wish to know why you are here."_

Vala nodded slightly.

_"I have chosen you to be trained as my next Avatar."_

"What does Avatar mean?" Vala wondered.

"The gods are far above the mortal realm of humans. To be seen and understood, they select a special human through which to speak. The chosen one - the avatar - becomes one with the gods," Quetesh explained softly.

"You chose me for this honour?" the incredulous girl questioned.

_"You have beauty, intelligence, strength, and a thirst for knowledge. These traits are those I desire for my next avatar. All that you learn is to be a gift to me, to enhance our power and greatness. Our power: mine and yours, because you will be one with myself."_

"I - I never expected such a thing. It is beyond my imagination. To become one with the gods..." Vala marvelled. "Truly fate has smiled upon me."

_"Yessss,"_ Quetesh 'agreed' silkily. _"You may return to your room."_

The awed girl joined her escort in the hall, and walked shakily back to her room. She tried to return to her book, but her mind was awash with surprise and amazement.

-

note: I just got back from a 3 day business trip, which is why I haven't been updating or reviewing lately.

Hope you all enjoyed this little update!


	14. The Questioning

Chapter 13 – The Questioning

_Earth, six months later…_

"Hello, may I help you?" the woman greeted the stranger at the door.

"I hope so. My name is Agent Harlton, FBI. Here's my badge. Are you Mrs Tabitha Evans?"

"I… yes, I am. What's this about?"

"I wish to speak with Daniel Jackson. Is he available?"

"Daniel? He didn't do anything!" Tabitha protested. Surely the foster child was innocent.

"About a year ago, he made a statement to the police identifying a grand theft suspect. I simply wish to ask him some questions. You will be allowed to remain present," Agent Harlton explained genially.

"I suppose that's alright. Come on in, and I'll call him for you."

A few minutes later, Daniel found himself sitting on the couch beside his latest foster-mother, with an FBI agent sitting facing him. "You are Daniel Jackson, correct?"

"Yes," Daniel answered simply.

"I believe you know this man?" Harlton produced a copy of the image from the wanted poster.

"Yes, that's Jacek Mal Doran."

"Where did you first meet him?"

"At an archaeological dig site in Egypt."

The agent nodded. "That's what the police statement says. We've had people show this picture in the nearest city to the site you described, and a few people recognised him. A couple even remembered his name. However, we can find no record of his entry into the United States of America."

Daniel said nothing, as he hadn't been asked a question.

"I would like to know if he – or his daughter – said anything regarding how or where they entered the country, or where they may have gone."

Daniel shook his head. "They were careful not to say anything. And Vala didn't seem to know anything about the USA," he remembered. "She seemed confused when I mentioned it. But she did say that I wouldn't want to live where she lives. And in Egypt she said it was a long way away. She also said that her mother died when their village was attacked and her house was destroyed."

"There isn't any record of them entering or leaving Egypt either," the agent added.

"I can't explain that."

"Perhaps you could explain how they found you at your foster home, considering that your last contact with them was in Egypt when your parents were alive."

"I… I don't really know. Vala said it was magic."

"Hmm. Are you certain you had no contact or communication between the first time you met them and the time of the thefts?"

"Yes. We talked over a few days in Egypt, and they visited over two days a year ago, and that's all."

"You haven't seen or heard from Jacek or Vala since?"

"No."

"Very well. Here's my card. Call me immediately if you see or meet either Jacek or Vala, or if they call or write you."

Daniel nodded hesitantly.

"That will be all. Thank you for you time, Daniel, and Mrs Evans."

Daniel watched warily as the agent left.

"Are you alright?" Tabitha asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay. It's just that… no, never mind."

"Daniel? What's wrong?"

"It's about Vala. She's my friend, and I was hoping she would visit me again. But now I'm worried that she'll be in trouble if she does, so I'm also hoping she doesn't visit. But I do want to see her again."

Tabitha shook her head. "Vala didn't do anything wrong. Her father is wanted, but she isn't."

"Oh. I hadn't thought of that. But if Jacek knows he's wanted by the police, he won't risk letting Vala visit me."

"I don't know. Perhaps. Worrying about it won't help. What happens, happens."

Daniel sighed. "You're right. I wonder where she is. I hope she's safe." But he couldn't shake the fear that his friend was in danger.


	15. The Mayor’s Graduation

Chapter 14 – The Mayor's Graduation

_Six more months later..._

"Oof!" Vala found herself thrown and pinned to the floor. "I yield!"

Nesh'la smiled. "You have fought well, for a human, Vala."

"Thanks, I think."

"However, you should pay more attention to..." The Jaffa's sentence broke off in a grimace of pain.

Vala took advantage of the loss of focus to roll away and grab both training staffs. But when she realised her friend was still in pain, she halted her attack. "Nesh'la?"

"I must depart. You should return to your living quarters. Return the staffs to the weapon locker," Nesh'la instructed seriously.

Vala sensed trouble. "What's wrong, Nesh'la?"

"It is not for you to know."

"But... I'm the next Avatar; I'm supposed to learn _everything!_" Vala argued.

"At the right time, you will know all. I must depart." The Jaffa woman walked quickly away, leaving a confused girl staring after her.

"Nesh'la?" Vala called, but she received no reply. It hurt - she saw Nesh'la as a friend. While she was not exactly friendly, she was a little warmer than the other staff (slaves, really) and Vala needed a parent, with her mother dead and her father only allowed to visit every few months.

With her mind elsewhere, Vala returned the training staffs to their rack. Nesh'la had advised her to return to her room, but had not directly ordered it. This was uncharacteristic, and Vala was always ready to capitalise on such errors - such as the fact that she was currently unguarded.

With a significant amount of sneaking - a skill which she had honed in the year and a half of her stay - she reached a balcony with a bird's-eye view of Quetesh's throne room. After watching the absence of activity for several minutes, her spy-work became worthwhile. A man was ushered up the stairs to meet with the goddess. Vala immediately recognised him - the mayor of her hometown.

Quetesh swept into the room and demanded a report. The Mayor, Nagiss, droned on for a few minutes, until the meeting degenerated into a heated argument about mine output and Naquadah purity. It was a rather one-sided argument, since one party was an 'unquestionable all-knowing goddess' and the other a 'pitiful human'.

Eventually, Quetesh was fed up and gave judgement. _"Your failure tires me, Naggis of Bathadlia. I have decided you are incompetent and must be replaced."_

"You are giving my position to another?" he protested. Then he caught himself and rushed to add, "Let your will be done, for you know best, O Great One."

The man failed to impress. _"Not your position, but your body. You have chosen an opportune time to fail. Jaffa, bring Nesh'la, and a new prim'ta."_

Vala was confused. What did Nesh'la have to do with this situation?

Naggis, sensing a detrimental situation, began to rise from his knees. Two temple guards immediately forced him down. Two others carried Nesh'la into the throne room, and a Jaffa priestess reverently carried a container, which held some kind of fluid. The humans watched in horrified fascination as the priestess parted the clothing over Nesh'la's lower abdomen. She reached in through the X-shaped cut, and with a sickening squelching sound, drew out a writhing finned creature.

Vala stared at the squealing animal. Its snakelike body writhed and it's four sharp fangs gnashed the air. Bright, evil eyes darted around the room. She wondered what it was and how and why it had been inside Nesh'la. Was this the reason she was unwell?

_"Nesh'la, you have served me well. The symbiote is strong, and ready,"_ Quetesh proclaimed. _ "You are to be blessed with a new god-child to care for."_ She signalled the priestess, who dipped into the container and retrieved a young symbiote. It was smaller, lighter in coloured, and obviously less developer. It also seemed less threatening - less obviously evil.

The priestess knelt over Nesh'la's prone form, chanting the praises of Quetesh. When she reached the appropriate point, she released the prim'ta onto the woman's belly. Squirming in discomfort from being in the air, it found it's way to the pouch and disappeared inside. Quetesh looked on in amusement. She give the implantation only half her attention, also focusing on petting the mature symbiote in her hand.

_"Naggis, it is time to meet your new… friend."_ The goddess used the device in the palm of her free hand to bathe the mayor's forehead with orange light. His head slumped forward, and he found himself unable to move. Vala saw her hold the… _thing_ close to the mayor, and it squeaked and chirped in a ghastly distortion of delight. _"Ahh, you have been accepted,"_ Quetesh purred as she placed the symbiote across the man's shoulders.

Vala stifled a scream as the demon-creature reared back it's head and struck at the mayor's neck. He shuddered as the snakelike beast slithered into his body. Soon all that could be seen was it's writhing tail, and then that too was pulled inside. A few seconds later the kneeling figure bowed deeper. _"My goddess, I thank you for gifting me with this host. I find him satisfactory,"_ a voice spoke. It sounded wrong, alien. _"I will do my utmost to correct the errors Naggis has made in Bathadlia. It will become a shining jewel in your domain, and a source of untold wealth,"_ it promised.

"_Arise, servant of Quetesh,"_ the goddess instructed. _"Arise, and state your name."_

He – it – rose, and the eyes, once belonging to the mayor, flashed with inhuman light. _"I am Sardesh, O Great One."_

"_Sardesh, then. My will is for you to rule Bathadlia as my vassal, in place of the fool, Naggis. His mind holds all you need to know. But first… we wish to know you better."_ Quetesh smiled with hideous beauty and waggled her fingers. Sardesh took the invitation and followed her out of the throne room. To refuse would have meant death. And then 'torture', more death, and banishment to an extremely humble post. Not that Sardesh had even considered refusal.

Perched on the overhead balcony, Vala shivered with shock and enlightenment. She did not understand everything yet, but she certainly understood her fate. She crawled off the balcony so she was out of sight when she shakily stood. Hoping no one would spot her running through the halls, she hurried back to her room so she could throw up in private.


	16. A Cry for Help

Chapter 15 - A Cry for Help

"Vala, are you unwell?"

Vala shrugged uncomfortably.

"You appear to be upset," Nesh'la told her.

"Why did you collapse earlier?"

"I was briefly unwell. I am now well again, praise be to Quetesh."

"I've never seen a sick Jaffa before."

"It is rare."

"How are Jaffa different from humans?" Vala prodded.

"You will understand that at the right time."

"I see." Vala was silent for a minute as she considered the truths and lies. "I wish to continue my science project."

"Very well." Nesh'la led the young student to the appropriate laboratory, wondering why the girl's attitude had changed.

-

_Five__ months later…_

The time since her discovery had been difficult. Vala now felt very uneasy around any Jaffa, particularly Nesh'la. It took a great deal of control not to let it show. She assumed every Jaffa must have one of those horrid creatures in their abdomen, but she knew better than to ask. Quetesh obviously didn't want her to know, and the reason why was fairly obvious. The 'goddess' obviously didn't want Vala to know what 'becoming an avatar' really meant. If anyone found out she knew what was in store for her, the situation would change drastically. She might be killed, and would certainly be confined and watched more closely. The chance of escape would be greatly lessened, and escape was exactly what Vala was planning. There was no way she would allow a slippery monster to take over her brain.

Today was the day she had been working towards: the day the first phase of her plan would be complete. Today, her father would be allowed to visit. He should be here any time…

"Vala!"

"Daddy! You're here!"

"Of course I'm here. How's my darling daughter?"

"I've learned lots since last time," she answered, making her best smile. "But I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too Vala. I wish you could be home, but it's better for you to be here."

"Sometimes I wonder," she answered quietly. Then she continued with, "How's the witch?"

"Adria? Still as sour as ever."

"Still gambling away her money?"

Jacek shrugged. "You know me."

Vala sighed, and then pasted on a wide grin. "I made you something!"

Jacek took the object she passed him and turned it around in his hands. "It's very pretty . What is it?"

"It's a sort of lamp. If you sit it on a table it will light up the ceiling in different colours." She pointed at a trio of protrusions on the base and explained, "If you push this one, it will give white light, that one is blue, and the other one is pink."

"Amazing! What happens if I press all three buttons at the same time?" he wondered.

Vala gave a sly grin. "That's a surprise. You'll have to find out by yourself."

The pair were allowed to chat for several more minutes before Jacek was escorted back home. Vala returned to her room and began the long torturous wait.

-

Jacek smiled to himself as he flashed various colours on the ceiling. The 'lamp' was an ingenious device, and he was proud of his daughter's craftsmanship and touched that she had thought to make him a gift. Curious about what colour would result, he pressed all three buttons simultaneously. The lamp made a click and a whir, and lines of writing shimmered in the air above it. "A secret message!" he exclaimed.

The more he read, the more his mood darkened. Vala was in serious trouble, and it was up to him to do something about it.


	17. A Bad Thing

Chapter 16 – A Bad Thing

Vala was feeling frazzled after four weeks of anxious waiting. She didn't know whether her father would be able or willing to rescue her. Well, she was fairly sure he was willing, but he didn't know if he still had a working ship or if he'd be able to reach her location intact. Actually, she didn't know for certain that he had found her message, or that he hadn't been discovered…

She closed her eyes and put her hands over her face, trying to block out the doubts which had dogged her almost constantly. Her worries had her as nervous as a meng'kiff in a naquadah refinery, and the possibility that someone might notice had her even more worried. Fortunately she did not often see Quetesh face-to-face, and the 'goddess' did not seem proficient at understanding or reading human emotions. She guessed this was because it was not humanlike at all, whatever it was.

A quick look out a window gave her a good idea of the time, from the positions of the moons and stars. Her rescue should arrive soon. It was time to get into position.

The 'ring room' was in a fairly central wing of the temple (or palace, depending on one's point of view). It was well protected from outside attack, but disjoined from most of the other sections of the building by solid internal walls. This prevented anyone from easily fleeing to (or infiltrating) a ship, or using the transporter on a ship to access sensitive areas of the temple without discovery. As a result, Vala had a long walk ahead of her, and several guards to distract or sneak past. Fortunately, many of them ignored her as she acted as if she belonged there. Others were convinced with a simple pretext.

As she reached the room housing the transportation system, she grinned to herself. Success! Now if only her father showed up on time…

"ValaMalDoran!"

"Eeep! N-nesh'la, what are you d-doing here?"

The Jaffa woman stood in the final doorway, and wore an expression of displeasure. "I was dispatched by the goddess to fetch you."

"How did you know I'm here? And how did you get in front of me?" Vala wondered, the confusion evident in her voice.

"The goddess sees all, and her ways are beyond the ways of mortals."

In other words, there was a security system and hidden passage which Vala had missed. "Oops."

"What is your purpose here?"

"I'm… exploring."

"This is not a place for you to explore. You are to come with me," Nesh'la instructed, expecting to be obeyed. Vala darted forwards, and the Jaffa sidestepped into her path. "Halt!"

Vala shook her head. "I need to go in there."

"It is not permitted," Nesh'la resolutely answered.

"Then we must fight."

"I can not surrender to you. My duty is to the Goddess."

"I will not surrender either – it's freedom or death for me. We fight to the death."

"The Goddess will revive you, even from death. There is no escape."

Vala sadly shook her head. "Then I must defeat you. I'm sorry, but no other outcome is acceptable."

"There are many fighting skills you are yet to learn. Combat will be futile. It will be less painful if you come peacefully."

"For you, perhaps." Vala unslung the bag from her shoulder and removed a small vial of liquid. She removed the stopper and flung the contents at Nesh'la's face.

The Jaffa instinctively blocked with her hands, but the move was only partially effective. Parts of her face and hands were immediately afflicted with pain. "What have you done?" she screeched.

"It's a simple acid. You'll get over it soon, but for now you are unable to hold a weapon," Vala informed.

"You fight without honour."

"I'm not fighting, I'm just removing you from my way," Vala answered.

Nesh'la removed a knife from her belt, and held it with a pained expression. In response, Vala drew her own blade and transferred the bag to her left shoulder. It was a short fight. While Nesh'la had increased strength, weight, and experience, her pain slowed her movements, ruined her concentration, and prevented her from putting much force into her blows. Within half a minute, Vala had knocked the weapon from her stinging hand. "I will still not allow you to pass. You must kill me. Quetesh will be greatly displeased if I let you go by my own choice."

"I don't want to kill you, Nesh'la."

"Then accompany me to Quetesh."

"Never."

There was a brief standoff, which Nesh'la ended by shouting. "Guards! Kree!"

Hearing the approaching sound of heavy boots, Vala had no choice but to throw the blade at her mentor's neck. The Jaffa staggered backwards and collapsed. Vala forced herself past, not at all willing to retrieve her weapon. Entering the transport room, she ran to the control panel and pressed the right combination of buttons. Learning the combination had not been an easy task, as the sequence was a closely guarded secret. As the reinforcements entered the room, she dashed into the centre of the circle demarcation on the floor. A second later, the rings rose around her, blocking a belated volley of shots from the guards' staff weapons. She vanished with a flash, hopefully to reappear on a ship containing her father, rather than more Jaffa.

-

End of chapter!

-

Note: I though that since I hadn't updated in a while and the last chapter was short, it would be nice to add another chapter quickly.

-

Oh, and I wish you all a Merry Christmas!

-

And a Happy New Year too.

-

What?

-

You think that's a bad place to end the chapter?

-

Really?

-

Okay, okay, I'm just messing with you!

-

The brightness cleared, and Vala found herself standing in the cargo bay of a small ship. She looked around for a door, or any signs of life.

"That better be you back there, Vala," a distant voice called.

"Daddy! You came for me!" she shouted joyously. She ran towards the voice and found him at the controls. "I was so worried you might not be here!"

He stretched out an arm and gave her a half-hug. He needed the other one to steer. "It wasn't easy. I had to buy a whole new ship. The other one was found and destroyed."

"How did you afford a ship?" Vala wondered.

"Adria. Did you really think I lost all her fortune gambling?"

"Um…"

"Of course not – I just told her I was losing. It was my fault she decided she had to sell you, so when I found out it wasn't so good for you, I had to get you back."

"Oh."

Satisfied that they had escaped from the planet – he'd had to drop the cloak for the transporter to work – Jacek was able to give his daughter a proper hug. He soon found that she was crying into his shirt. "Vala?"

"I… I did something bad," she admitted tearfully.

"What happened, Vala-girl?"

"I k-killed someone. A Jaffa. To escape. She was my f-friend," she said between sobs.

"Oh, Vala, it's alright," he said comfortingly. "You did what you had to do to be safe. I don't blame you. And I'm sorry you had to be in that situation."

After a few minutes of being held, she felt much better. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"It's like this. I had to make some… deals, in order to get this ship. Quality equipment doesn't come cheap, you know. So to pay it off completely, I have to do some… transport jobs, for a few years."

"We're transporting things? Is it dangerous?"

"Sometimes it is. That's why I can't have you with me."

"You-you cant?"

"I'm sorry, Vala, but I need to leave you somewhere where I know you'll be safe. Somewhere the Goa'uld don't know about."

Vala's heart fell to her toes. But then she thought of Daniel.


	18. Fostering an Alien

Chapter 17 – Fostering an Alien

Random chronological note: I figure this must be approximately 1978.

-

"Is that Daniel's planet? Will I be with him?" Vala asked hopefully.

"That's the one. Quetesh and her kind don't have any idea where it is. You'll be perfectly safe," her father assured her.

"But you won't be there?"

"I'm sorry, Vala-girl, but if I stay here too long, my business associates will come looking for me. You'll be much better off with a good family to look after you, until you're old enough."

"Old enough for what?" Vala wondered.

"To fly your own ship, of course," Jacek answered with a grin.

"My own ship? When?"

"When you are eighteen Earth years old. Earth rules say you must stay with a family until then."

"Really?"

"That's what I read."

"I mean, I get a ship?"

"You've learned a lot from Quetesh, so you might as well put it to use some day, when you're ready."

"When I'm ready? What does that mean?"

"You'll understand, when you're ready."

"Oh. What about Daniel?"

"Wait and see."

"My story books," Vala remembered. "Did you bring those?"

"You would have passed the box in the cargo hold."

Vala clapped her hands together. "I missed reading those! The only stories Quetesh let me read were about her."

"Well, now you can read whatever you like."

Vala smiled genuinely at that thought.

-

_Several days and a few side-stops later..._

"We're almost there. See, Earth is very close."

Vala watched carefully as they drew closer to the planet. "Are we going to the same part of the planet? It looks familiar."

"Not exactly the same part. It's in a slightly different region."

"Oh. Is Daniel there now?"

"You'll see."

Vala crossed her arms. "If you're trying to surprise me, it's not going to work."

"We'll see."

"Hmm."

-

"What's this?" Vala asked, poking the vehicle next to which the transport rings had deposited her.

"It's a pickup truck. We'll use it to carry your things to the house you'll be living in, because they don't understand our spaceships. The furthest anyone on Earth has been is to the moon."

"A pickup truck," Vala repeated, testing the words. "Where did you get it?"

"A man lent it to me in exchange for some jewelery. Cheap jewelery."

Vala shrugged. "How far is it to the house?"

"Not far. Only a few minutes. Help me load up your things." Vala's things consisted of her box of books, a case with some Earth clothes her father had bought for her, and the items she had liberated while fleeing Quetesh. The latter she had promised to keep to herself.

Once the loading was complete, Vala asked, "Do you know how to drive this... pickup truck?"

"It's easier than flying."

Vala looked doubtful.

"And we're not going far."

Vala closed her eyes, not wishing to watch. "Wake me when we arrive."

-

Fortunately the trip only took a few minutes, in which no mishaps quite occurred. Nevertheless, Vala was relieved when it was over. "This is the house? It's a lot less emptier than the last place we visited, but very different to the desert. Who lives here?"

"Yes, the Mitchell family lives here."

"Are they nice people?"

"From what I could tell. The offered me something called 'pumpkin pie'."

"Is that food? What's it like?"

"Delicious. Now collect your things and I'll knock on the door," Jacek replied. He did so, and a man soon answered the door.

Vala decided he looked friendly enough. He also seemed to recognise her father. "Mister Jacek."

"Mister Mitchell," Jacek replied with a nod.

"I'll fetch our young translator."

"Yes, translator," her father replied, repeating a word she found very familiar.

The man stepped back inside the house, and returned a short time later with a small boy on his heels. He looked fairly similar to Daniel – this planet mustn't have much variation, she speculated. He was perhaps a little younger than Daniel last time she'd seen him. Daniel would have grown a lot since then, she suddenly realised.

"Vala! You're here!" The shout woke her from her musings.

"Daniel! I _knew_ I'd see you again! And who is this little boy? Is he a relative?"

Daniel looked slightly perplexed. "No, not at all. This is Cameron."

-

Note: When I got to the last few hundred words of this chapter I realised I'd better do a bit of reasearch to determine various relative ages (and that this is before Frank's accident. I had the idea of this twist a while ago (obviously Daniel's fostering got changed by Vala helping him to start talking sooner) but I didn't think through all the details in, um, detail.


	19. Hello, Goodbye

Chapter 18 – Hello, Goodbye

Vala did not realise she had fallen asleep until she felt someone shaking her shoulder. "Where – who – Daniel!"

"Hello Vala," said Daniel with a friendly smile. "You fell asleep on the couch."

"Oh. So I did. The trip was so long, and the... couch, was so comfortable. What's happening? I thought my father needed you for translation."

"He and Mr Mitchell have finished arranging things. We're about to eat. I was sent to wake you. Your father will be leaving soon."

"Food. That sounds good." Vala didn't want to think about her father leaving just yet. "Smells good too."

Daniel nodded. "That's pumpkin pie. Mrs Mitchell is very good at making it."

"I haven't met her yet. She's Cameron's mother, I assume?" Vala checked.

"Yes. She's nice. They all are. Come on, everyone's this way."

-

_A little later…_

"Do you really have to go now, Daddy?" a greatly saddened Vala asked as her father checked the pickup for any of her belongings he was supposed to leave.

"I'm afraid so, Vala-girl. I have a drop-off to make, and if I'm not in time, someone will come looking for me. I don't want to be anywhere near you if that happens. You'll be safe here. I've paid the Mitchells a lot to look after you." 'A lot' was relative though – the jewellery he'd given them was worth a lot more on Earth than the planet he'd acquired it. "Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it, and then you'll be old enough to go wherever you like."

"Do you promise?" Vala asked seriously.

Jacek sincerely answered, "I promise. Will you be good while I'm gone, and keep out of trouble?"

"I promise," Vala replied in the same fashion as her father.

"Good girl. Next time I see you, we'll both have lots of stories to share!" he encouraged.

"Yes," the girl answered half-heartedly.

"Cheer up, you'll have a great time. Trust me, this will be far better than when you were training for Quetesh."

"Or living around Adria," Vala muttered.

Her father gave her a final goodbye hug, a kiss on the top of her head, and then he and the pickup truck were disappearing into an unfamiliar horizon.

The sobbing girl was only dimly aware of being carried back into the house and placed on a bed.

-

Notes: yes, it's exceptionally short, but it seemed very self contained. The next chapter will start a new day.


End file.
